Wednesday, May 28, 2008

The Registry of "Good" Deeds

Congratulations to Edwin "Ted" Coghlin on his induction into the New England Scouter Hall of Fame. The Registry of Deeds hosted a celebration of his induction last night, presented by the Mohegan Council of the Boy Scouts of America. We are proud that we could help recognize Mr. Coghlin's good deeds.

South Essex Registry of Deeds Move

Congratulations to Register John O'Brien and the South Essex Registry of Deeds in Salem on the completion of their successful move to a new location this past weekend. For more information about their move, please visit SalemDeeds.com

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Grantor Book Project

Today the Summer Interns at the Registry have started to lay the foundations for putting the Grantor Index online back to 1731. The online index will be in an "e-book" format, mimicking the format of the paper books. Although we are in the process of indexing documents from 1965 backwards, this process moves slowly. The online grantor indices, while not as thorough as our full indexing, will provide the capability to search ALL of our records from the comfort of your home or office.

Stay tuned here for more information on the progress and details of this exciting project.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Memorial Day Reminder

Just a reminder that the Registry of Deeds will be closed this Monday May 26, 2008 in observance of Memorial Day.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Voice of the Child Seminar

The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts and the Worcester County Bar Association Family Law Committee will be hosting a seminar on "The Voice of the Child: How to Get It, How to Interpret it, How to Use It" at the Registry of Deeds on June 3, 2008 from 4-6PM.

Speakers include the Honorable Susan D. Ricci, Joan E. Arnold, Esq. AJCM, Christine D. Anthony, Esq., Mark T. Lee, Esq., and Joseph C McGill L.I.C.S.W.

The program will provide guidance for attorneys and guardians ad litem involved in custody disputes in the Probate and Family Court.

Those planning to attend please RSVP to Rickleslaw@charter.net or (508) 752-0499

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

eSign Seminar

AmTrust Bank is one of the 20 largest mortgage lenders in America. Since its founding in Cleveland in 1889, it has been a leader in forward-thinking financial services. Today AmTrust is on the forefront of electronic mortgage closing technology. Come and learn how cutting-edge electronic document execution technology can help you become more profitable and efficient.

Presented by:
Pete Beyer, Gary Bellino and Nancy Roy
Product and Technology Consultants, AmTrust Mortgage Banking

Thursday, May 22, 2008
12:00 noon Registration
12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Program

Worcester Registry of Deeds
90 Front Street
Worcester, MA 01608
A deli-style lunch will be provided.

To Register please call (413) 552-3400 or (800) 552-2842.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Law Day and Democracy

Last week, the Worcester County Bar Association hosted its annual Law Day Breakfast at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Each year the WCBA hosts an essay competition, and this years winner was Tylor Liljegren, an eight-grade student at Turkey Hill Middle School in Lunenburg. Tylor's essay, posted below, should serve as a reminder to all of us who often forget how fortunate we are to be Americans.

Democracy

This is a silly question that no doubt has been uttered by the lips of many American youths, “Why should I care?” It seems my generation lacks what past generations thrived on; a drive, a commitment, a passion, you know those things that made us free in the first place. America is just a baby. We are fragile. Nations have come and gone before us like the tides of the oceans that cradle us. Our democracy is what makes us strong, what makes us standout, what makes us proud to say we are a working part of the greatest patriotic machine on earth.

There’s a little village in Hungary called Tiszakecske and it’s where my Papa fled to America from during the Hungarian Revolution. He was only fifteen, and his mother would not join him, but the idea of America and the freedom it advocated was a sweet one and worth the chance. He left the only home he ever knew, a place where his father was labeled a martyr and put to death, a place where you couldn’t walk down the street without seeing a Red man with a machine gun, a place that used to be so beautiful. It took two long years spent in and out of various refugee camps, but he got here, and that made all the difference.

We hear stories all the time about genocide in Africa and bombings between Israel and Palestine; it’s hard to think of these things deeply as they are sadly becoming our daily reality. We are thousands of miles away from these places, that’s the gist of it, but what makes us so different? Why are we spared of this day to day misery that casts itself over certain parts of the Earth, a lurking shadow? Do we not all have the same beating hearts? Do we not all breathe the same air? Certainly we do, but we were not all lucky enough to be born with that same liberty that stands tall and strident holding her touch proudly and greeting all those who come.

The word democracy itself leaves a chummy, warm, perhaps familial feeling; a sensation of being united, not always in opinion, but most certainly in the ability to have one. We are a united people, and there is nothing, not a war, not a bombing, or a terrorist attack that can erase the indelible ink that wrote the Constitution. Consequently, when one says they don’t care about their rights it’s not only a naïve statement, but also very selfish when one thinks about the things some less fortunate people would give for them.

An estimated twenty-five thousand men died in the Revolutionary War, that’s not counting the wounded or those who died in the proceeding wars trying to keep our values whole. Every one of those people stared death in the face just for my right to say, write, and believe whatever I think to be true. Now, I am aware that that particular war happened two hundred and twenty five years ago, and there is nothing I can do to bring those people back, but I cannot let those soldiers die in vain. I cannot forget what John Adams did to negotiate the peace treaty with Great Britain or what Betsy Ross sewed into the first American flag. This is the very least that I could do.